Merry Christmas!

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." Galations 4:4-5 (ESV)

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14 (ESV)

"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days."
Micah 5:2 (ESV)

"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[a] and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15 (ESV)

"And in your (Abraham's) offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed..." Genesis 22:18 (ESV)

Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People

Today's Advent hymn, "Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People" by Johann Olearius and again translated by Catherine Winkworth, is by the request of Pete.

"Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People"

Comfort, comfort, ye My people,

Speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
Comfort those who sit in darkness,
Mourning 'neath their sorrows' load.
Speak ye to Jerusalem
Of the peace that waits for them;
Tell her that her sins I cover
And her warfare now is over.

Yea, her sins our God will pardon,
Blotting out each dark misdeed;
All that well deserved His anger
He no more will see or heed.
She hath suffered many a day,
Now her griefs have passed away;
God will change her pining sadness
Into ever-springing gladness.

Hark, the Herald's voice is crying
In the desert far and near,
Bidding all men to repentance
Since the Kingdom now is here.
Oh, that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way;
Let the valleys rise to meet Him
And the hills bow down to greet Him.

Make ye straight what long was crooked,
Make the rougher places plain;
Let your hearts be true and humble,
As befits His holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord
Now o'er earth is shed abroad,
And all flesh shall see the token
That His Word is never broken.


And, since it was Pete who requested this one, the video is a brass quintet recording of the hymn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xare0pbxxs&feature=related

Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending

Today's Advent hymn is Charles Wesley's "Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending."

"Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending"

Lo, he comes with clouds descending,

Once for ev'ry sinner slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending
Swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia, alleluia!
Christ the Lord returns to reign.

Ev'ry eye shall now behold him
Robed in glorious majesty;
Those who set at nought and sold him,
Pierced and nailed him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, shall their true Messiah see.

Those dear tokens of his Passion
Still his dazzling body bears,
Cause of endless exultation
To his ransomed worshipers.
With what rapture, with what rapture
Gaze we on those glorious scars!

Yea, amen, let all adore thee,
High on thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the pow'r and glory,
Claim the kingdom for thine own.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Thou shalt reign, and thou a lone!

This is not  my favorite tune for this hymn, but it is the one that is in our current hymnal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08cGl44SWGM

Hark the Glad Sound

Today's Advent hymn is "Hark the Glad Sound" by Philip Doddridge.

"Hark the Glad Sound"

Hark the glad soung!  The Savior comes,
The Savior promised long;
Let every heart prepage a throne
And every voice a song.

He comes the pris'ners to release,
In Satan's bondage held.
The gates of brass before Him burst,
The iron fetters yield.

He comes the broken heart to bind,
The bleeding soul to cure,
And with the treasures of His grace
To enrich the humble poor.

Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace,
Thy welcome shall proclaim,
And heav'n's eternal arches ring
With Thy beloved name.


This is a fun organ arrangement of the hymn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GxACjvrujo

Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates

Today's hymn is "Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates" by Georg Weissel and translated by Catherine Winkworth.

"Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates"

Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates!
Behold, the King of glory waits.
The King of kings is drawing near;
The Savior of the world is here.
Life and salvation He doth bring;
Therefore rejoice and gladly sing.
To God the Father raise
Your joyful songs of praise.

A righteous Helper comes to thee,
His chariot is humility,
His kingly crown is holiness,
His scepter, pity in distress,
The end of all our woe He brings;
Therefore the earth is glad and sings:
To Christ the Savior raise
Your grateful hymns of praise.

How blest the land, the city blest,
Where Christ the Ruler is confessed!
O peaceful hearts and happy homes
To whom this King in triumph comes!
The cloudless Sun of joy is He,
Who comes to set His people free.
To God the Spirit raise
Your grateful hymns of praise.

Fling wide the portals of your heart;
Make it a temple set apart
From earthly use for Heaven's employ,
Adorned with prayer and love and joy.
So shall your Sovereign enter in
And new and nobler life begin.
To God alone be praise
For word and deed and grace!

Redeemer, come and open wide
My heart to Thee; here, Lord, abide!
O enter with Thy grace dinne;
Thy face of mercy on me shine.
Thy Holy Spirit guide us on
Until our glorious goal is won.
Eternal praise and fame
We offer to Thy name.

(I couldn't find an even half-way decent video of this one, expecially with the tune I like.)

Savior of the Nations, Come

The Advent hymn for today is "Savior of the Nations, Come" by (most likely) Ambrose of Milan and later translated into German by Martin Luther.

"Savior of the Nations, Come"

Savior of the nations, come,

Virgin's Son, make here Your home!

Marvel now, O heav'n and earth,

That the Lord chose such a birth.

Not by human flesh and blood,

By the Spirit of our God,

Was the Word of God made flesh -

Woman's offspring, pure and fresh.

 

And, another video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqKpdIFX5LE

Advent

Ok, before anyone complains that I haven't blogged in a long time, I already know. Frankly, while I enjoy this blog, it hasn't been a priority lately. I have thought about it a couple of times and just have not gotten around to it. However, I am posting now.
Last year I posted about Advent. Because it is already there for the world to see, I am not going to recap it all again. However, while it is getting closer to Christmas, once again, Advent is getting forgotten. So, in the week leading up to Christmas, I am going to share some of my favorite Advent hymns, which I also think tend to be some of the best and most powerful of all hymnody. (Everything I will be posting is in the public domain.) I like so many Advent hymns, I won't get to post them all. Still, hopefully you will see some of your favorites and maybe see some new ones as well. Enjoy!

The hymn I am posting today is a very old hymn (written somewhere between the 5th and 10th centuries). It is a newer hymn for me, though, having just been introduced to it last year. Frankly, I think it is fantastic and a great way to start off this hymn collection.

"Creator of the Stars of Night"

Creator of the stars of night,

Thy people's everlasting Light:

O Christ, Redeemer, save us all,

And hear Thy servants when they call.

Thou, grieving that the ancient curse

Should doom to death the universe,

Hast found the healing, full of grace,

To cure and save our ruined race.

Thou cam'st the Bridegroom of the bride,

As drew the world to eventide,

The spotless Victim all divine

Proceeding from a virgin shrine.

At whose dread name, majestic now,

All knees must bend, all hears must bow;

All things celestial Thee shall own,

And things terrestrial, Lord alone.

O Thou, whoe coming is with dread

To judge the living and the dead,

Preserve us from the ancient doe

While still we dwell on earth below.

To God the Father and the Son

And Holy Spirit, Three in One,

Praise, honor, might and glory be

From age to age eternally.

Amen.

Here is a link to another page that has the melody: http://http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/r/crestars.htm

And, a you tube video of the hymn with a slightly different translation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOXOE2caXpo&feature=related

Happy Advent!

The Last Frontier

We just got back from a fantastic vacation to Alaska, with brief stops in Canada and Seattle. Of course, coming back to 90 degree temperatures in southern Illinois has not been as enjoyable. So that I can try to remember the cool Alaskan air, here are some highlights of our trip.

Day 1
Today we flew out to Seattle. We cashed in our frequent flier miles for the flight and flew first class. (It was the same number of miles to fly first as it would have been to fly coach.) After checking into our hotel, we wandered around Pike Place Market a bit and ate dinner at The Athenian (which is a restaurant that happens to also be featured in Sleepless in Seattle).

Day 2
We wandered around Pike Place a little more this morning and stopped for coffee at the original Starbucks. We then headed over to our ship, the Carnival Spirit. The ship left Seattle and started heading up towards Alaska.

Day 3
We spent the whole day at sea. There was some beautiful scenery outside, but it was a bit chilly, so we didn't spend much time outside. Our ship had an onboard naturalist, Michelle, who would let us know if there was any wildlife around the ship and also did several presentations throughout the trip on glaciers, whales, and the other wildlife we would see. This was our first formal night on board the ship, and we ate both lobster and duck for dinner.

Day 4
It was pretty cold (about 50 degrees with a decent breeze and drizzling rain), but we still spent most of the day outside. While we stayed on the boat all day, the boat cruised through the Tracy Arm Wilderness Area, and particularly, Tracy Arm Fjord. (For those who do not know, a fjord is what is left when a glacier melts and is deep enough even for a cruise boat to get through.) It was beautiful. I think we took more than 100 pictures this day. It is impossible to describe to beauty here. It is something that simply needs to be experienced.

Day 5
The ship docked in Skagway, AK today. We spent the morning at a National Park Service center that descibed the role Skagway had in the Yukon gold rush. A ranger also took us on a tour of the town and pointed out some the the historical highlights. We also wandered around the town a bit. In the afternoon we had booked a shore excursion through Carnival. Our tour went to Liarsville, a recreated tent city on the edge of Skagway that ahd been formed by stampeders during the gold rush. (It was called Liarsville because the journalists that had been reporting the gold rush had told so many lies about it.) We then drove in a bus up the Yukon highway to the summit and a little into the Yukon territory in Canada.

Day 6
Today the ship docked in Juneau, AK. We did not really get to explore the town on our own because we had booked two excursions. On the first, we went to a closed down gold mine. We toured the compound, learned about hard rock gold mining, and got a tour inside the mine led by an actual gold miner (and not an ordinary tour guide). They are thinking about possibly reopening the mine, so we were fortunate that we caught it while they were still giving tours. In the afternoon, we got a bus tour of Juneau, visited a salmon hatchery, and then went out to Mendenhall Glacier. I wish we would have had more time at the glacier. There were beautiful hiking trails. We started on a trail to a waterfall, but had to turn around before we got there so we wouldn't miss our bus.

Day 7
Today we were docked in Ketchikan, AK. We did a self-guided walking tour of the town. Of course, it rained all day, which made it a little bit miserable. Ketchikan is known for the many totem poles around town. While on the walking tour, we visited a museum about the history of Ketchikan, a museum on totem poles, and the Alaska Discovery Center, which is a museum done by the US Forest Service about the natural history of Alaska, particularly southeast Alaska and the Tongass National Forest, which is the largest national forest in the US. (We visited the sister museum at Mendenall Glacier in Juneau, which is also in the Tongass National Forest.) Our day in Ketchikan was very short, however.

Day 8
We spent most of the day on board the ship. The ship had a short 4th of July party, which we attended. We also participated in the Chicken Olympics (one of those crazy things they can probably only get people to do on a cruise) and finished in third place. (My knees did get pretty beat up while participating.) They moved our dinner time up a little bit (although we were still rushed), because we stopped in Victoria, BC that night. We took a horse-drawn carriage tour of the town. It was a short stop and town was a bit of a ways from the boat, so we didn't have time to do anything else.

Day 9
The boat docked back in Seattle this morning. After checking into our hotel (which, fortunately, already had our room ready at 8:15 in the morning), we headed to Seattle Center. We first went to the Experience Music Project, which is a museum of music, particularly the Seattle music scene. (For example, they had an exhibit on Nirvana and an exhibit on Jimmy Hendrix.) The most interesting part (and the room with the most people) was the room where a video and computer program taught you a little bit about how to play rock band instruments. I learned to play the bass part for the song "Wild Thing" and tried to learn some power chords on the guitar (which I have always wanted to learn to play, although I was still not very good at them). In the afternoon we went to the Pacific Science Center, which had some wonderful exhibits. The best ones were on the science of fear, as well as the tropical butterfly house. In the evening we took a tour of the Seattle underground. It provided a lot of the history of the formation of Seattle and was very interesting.

Day 10
We flew back home today, arriving home around midnight. (We flew coach this time, though, as we paid for these tickets ourselves.)

I'll admit, I was not quite ready for this vacation to end and to be back in the real world. However, at least I will get to go visit some wonderful college friends next weekend, which helps me remember that my summer (while getting closer and closer to the start of another school year) is not yet over.


While we took more than 200 pictures on vacation, here is one that just barely begins to show the beauty of Alaska:

Kiss the Moose!

After Bible Study this evening, Pete and I will be heading to our favorite place in the whole world (at least, it's my favorite place): Camp Lutherhaven. Pete was invited to preach at the Sunday worship service. After checking to make sure that he could actually miss this Sunday in church, he jumped at the chance. He also gets the privilege of leading the staff worship on Friday and presiding over communion. We are thrilled and excited to return to Camp and catch up with a couple of friends that we haven't been able to see in a while.
Why do we love Camp so much? Well, it is the place where we met and where Pete proposed to me. But, for me at least, the reason I love Camp is much deeper than that. It is a place filled with the glory of God. It is a place where my faith has (and continues to) grow and mature. It is so easy to see God's wonder in the midst of His wonderful creation. The people there form a loving community based around the saving work of Jesus. When I am at Camp, I am at home.
Words alone cannot describe Camp Lutherhaven. It is a place that has to be experienced. However, this might help you get a taste:


(2011 Camp Lutherhaven Promotional Video)

School's Out!

Wednesday was a very big day for me. Why? Wednesday was the unofficial start of summer. One of the nice (and necessary) parts of being a teacher is a summer off. Now, my summer isn't really "off." I need to go in to clean out and organize my classroom. I have a box of books in my car that I need to find Lexile Levels (a little like reading levels) on this summer. I have curriculm to revamp and some new curriculm to plan. I have science center file folder games to put together. No, the summer isn't really a vacation - it's just time to get some of the things that I don't have time for during the school year because of students and parents that expect me to actually teach their children somethings during school. ;)
However, the summer does have benefits. My schedule is much more flexible. Today I went to a baby shower for a friend in St. Louis, about a 1 1/2 hour drive away. Now, while I would have gone on a Sunday regardless, the fact that I don't have to worry about school tomorrow meant that I got some shopping done while I was actually in civilization. I have read four books so far and am starting another. I still have four weeks left of graduate work, but I have time to get that done. If it would ever stop raining for an extended peiod of time, I could actually get some work in the yard done. Oh, and if I feel like sleeping in, I can actually do it. (I am finally starting to get something near enough sleep. Sleep depravity during the school year is one reason that teachers really need their summer.) Now, if we were still in St. Louis or near NYC, I would visit museums or do other local sightseeing activities. However, being far away from a city means that is not possible. Right now I am enjoying being at home, but that feeling will disappear pretty soon. Following my husband for his calling has put me in new, unfamiliar, and, frankly, sometimes scary territory. This summer will not only be relaxing, but also one that will likely include some personal growth. (If any of you have a teleporter hidden away in your attic, may I borrow it? It would make getting to civilzation a whole lot easier.)

The Mighty Mississippi

There has been a great deal of terrible weather around the country lately. I follow the blog of another pastor's wife, and her family and community have been devestated by the Alabama tornados. We have been very fortunate, and I thank God that we have not had any real flooding in our own home. Some of my students, however, have had terrible flooding and had difficulty even getting out of their homes. I have had to drive the long way around to get to school, but doubles my commute time. Today we drove down to where the state highway was closed and took some pictures. Here are a few of them.


This is the state highway I usually drive to work.


Another picture of the state highway, with less zoom. You can see where the road is under the water a little bit from this picture.


I just thought this one was fun. I don't think any parking at all, even for emergencies, will be happening soon.

"The Lord said to Noah..."

Back when I was in college, we sometimes sang a song in chapel called "Let It Rain." Now, I never particularly liked the song (as it really didn't talk about anything at all, and I personally like songs/hymns that actually talk about Jesus or the other two persons of the Trinity). Today I really don't like the song. Why? Because it has been raining practically nonstop since Friday. Our yard (that we worked so hard on last week) is completely saturated. We now have a small river and pond in our backyard. The school I teach at is in the middle of a floodplain. There is only 1 road still open to get to school, and it involves going way out of the way. In fact, if the state highway is closed tomorrow (which it may very well be), my 30-35 minute commute will easily turn into an hour and a half commute. Since we have a PTL meeting after school, I am seriously thinking about taking a change of clothes, some toiletries, and a sleeping bag to school tomorrow so that I don't have to go home before Wednesday.
I just want the rain to stop and life to be semi-normal again. However, it doesn't appear that that will happen anytime soon.

Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

"Ride on, ride on in majesty.
In lowly pomp, ride on to die.
O Christ, Thy triumphs now begin
O'er captive death and conquered sin."
- "Ride On, Ride On in Majesty" by Henry H. Milman

Today we celebrate Palm Sunday, also called Sunday of the Passion. Palm Sunday seems like such a joyous day, doesn't it? After all, the crowds cheered on Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem. Even though the Pharisees tried to rain on the parade, Jesus still had an answer to their criticism.
Even though the day seemed joyous, as Henry Milman points out, Jesus did not ride into Jerusalem to have a big party. He rode into Jerusalem to suffer terrible punishment for crimes He did not commit and a cursed death on a cross. He came to bear the sins of the whole world. This is in stark contrast to the joyous celebration on Palm Sunday.
Fortunately for us, the story does not end there. Christ's death conquered sin and his glorious ressurrection on Easter morning triumphed over death. So, maybe Palm Sunday can be a joyous day after all as a day pointing to both the ultimate sacrifice and the ultimate victory.

I am always trying to find ways to help out my students. Unfortunately, money is very hard to come by. So, I apply for grants anytime I can. I currently have two grants that I've applied for where money is divided up through a voting process. Since we are a small school (38 students) and don't have a lot of people to help us vote, I'm reaching out to get everyone to help that I can. I would love it if you would vote and help out my students! You can vote one time per email address. Here are the links:
Reader's Theater Grant
Classroom Store Grant

"We didn't start the fire"

A little over a week ago we attended a fire safety dinner. We went because it was a free meal at Ponderosa and it promised to be short. It ended up being mostly a sales pitch for expensive alarm systems using scare tactics. While we want to take precautions, we were not sucked into the presentation and left feeling as if it was mostly a waste of time.
Then today happened. While I still think the presentation was relatively worthless, today I was glad for the precautions we had already taken around the house. Today was a beautiful spring day. We had to run to the grocery store to pick up a few things, and, while we were there, we decided to pick up some steaks to grill for dinner. Now, grilling is one of Peter's favortie things to do. He was very excited about this. I was inside making some potatoes for a side dish when I heard a knock on the window. I didn't rush over. I figured his hands were full and he just wanted some help opening the door. When I got to the door, however, I did not see Peter. What I did see was our lawn on fire. After being stunned for a moment, Peter shouted, "Get the extinguisher!" I got it, and let him spray it while I got bucket fulls of water. We did put the fire out, but not before a decent portion of the lawn had been scorched. The reason for the fire? Not thinking very clearly, Peter put the grill on the grass. He also forgot to put the catch pan for the ashes back on the grill. He released ashes, and released them right into the grass. The ground is wet, but the grass is still dead and dry AND it was a breezy day. Let's just say that this was not the way we planned to start the grilling season.

Wordle

For those of you unfamiliar with Wordle, it is a website that takes words that you input (or an RSS feed from a blog) and makes a word graphic. The words it finds most are the largest. I thought it would be fun to make one, partially to see what I talk about most here. Hmm, I'm not sure it is clear enough... (said with lots and lots of sarcasm):

Wordle: A New Beginning

Snow and Ice, Go Away

I don't mind winter weather. In general, it doesn't bother me. No, I am not a huge fan of driving in the ice or snow, but I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and went to college in Michigan. I can handle it. However, no matter how often it snows down here, people claim that it doesn't snow and they don't know how to drive in it. (This is our first winter in this immediate area, but, as we are not terribly far from the seminary, this is our fourth winter in the general area. It has snowed every year we've been around.)
Because no one knows how to handle the snow and the district my school is in is rural, we close school at even the hint of snow. Last week, we finally had a full week of school. That was our first full week of school since the first week of January. While school has not been cancelled for tomorrow yet (and I am REALLY hoping that it won't be), I would not be at all surprised if school were cancelled both Tuesday and Wednesday.
I really feel for my students. It is hard to develop any sense of consistancy when school is constantly being closed. I also know thar for some of my students, school is the best part of their day. My students have told me that they are sick of snow days, and I can't blame them. I am hoping that maybe the current weather system will hold off a bit, or, at least, be not as dramatic as they are predicting. (It's not a good sign when the National Weather Service is already telling people to not travel on Tuesday morning, though.)

Adopt My Classroom

I have added my classroom to the Adopt-a Classroom website. For those of you who don't know, I teach a a small, rural Christian school. Our goal is to:
SHARE Christ with the families of our congregation and community
CARE about each other as Christ cares about us
PREPARE children not only for productive living, but also for eternity

However, being a small school does have challenges. We don't receive the same kind of funding from the state that public schools do. Tuition alone does not cover all of our expenses. This means that buying "extras" is often difficult and would not be possible without various fundraising opportunities. So, while I don't plan to make a habit of posting this sort of thing on here, I just wanted to increase awareness. I encourage you to help out your own local Christian school as well, if it is by donations of items, money, or time. I am a product of a Lutheran preschool and grade school education, and I highly value it as being formative in who I am today.

(If you are interested in helping out my specific classroom or know someone who is, there is a link on the side of my blog.)

Oh, and why am I typing this in the middle of the day? It's a snow day, of course! (Number 5 this year.)

Taking Zinc

Flu season must be in full swing. I have 11 wonderful first and second grade students in my class. Well, I usually have 11 wonderful first and second grade students. Today I had 5. Yes, only 5! Needless to say, I threw out all of my lesson plans for the day and winged it a bit. The students I did have loved the day, though, as they felt that they didn't have any real work to do. I hope we have school tomorrow, but they are predicting snow, and the district my school is in closes school for practically nothing, so I'm not holding my breath. It's hard to get into any schedule after the break if I don't have any students or if we don't have school.